§ Mr. Kilfedderasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he is satisfied with the present arrangements for the vetting and selection of building construction firms for the purpose of limited tendering procedure; and if he will set out in the Official Report a summary of the arrangements, and the rank of the professional or non-professional officers involved in the vetting and in making the final decision to include or to exclude a particular firm.
§ Mr. CarterYes. The arrangements operating in Northern Ireland are broadly in line with the contracting procedures in use by United Kingdom Departments generally.
Firms may seek admission to the approved list at any time and are selected having regard to known technical and management resources, financial standing, performance record, current work load and other relevant factors.
The selection of building construction firms for the purpose of the select list tendering procedures is undertaken by officers with contracting and professional experience, rank being determined by the nature and size of the particular project. Where appropriate the most senior officers of the Department would be consulted and Ministerial approval obtained.
So far as other areas of the public service are concerned, the procedures are a matter for the employing authority.